Minnesota quarterback Philip Nelson , right , is congratulated by tight end Drew Goodger, after Nelson scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter, helping the Gophers beat the Nebraska Cornhuskers for the first time since 1960, 34-23 at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Saturday, October 26, 2013. (Pioneer Press: Scott Takushi)

The biggest game of Philip Nelson’s career comes Saturday against Wisconsin at TCF Bank Stadium.

The University of Minnesota sophomore quarterback will lead the red-hot Gophers (8-2, 4-2 Big Ten) in the most significant meeting in the rivalry in a decade with high-level bowl and Big Ten division title implications, new territory for this team.

Nelson didn’t know if he’d get such an opportunity when he lost his starting spot to Mitch Leidner after injuring his hamstring earlier in the season. But sitting was just the thing he needed to become the quarterback the Gophers always hoped he would be.

“There’s a confidence level with what we’re doing,” coach Jerry Kill said, “and a comfort level with Philip right now.”

Wisconsin was late to realize Nelson’s talent. It didn’t matter that Nelson grew up in the Badgers’ back yard and his dad, Pat, played for Wisconsin in the 1970s.

“Everybody thought I was going to go there,” Nelson said. “But (former Wisconsin coach) Brett Bielema really didn’t recruit me that much. Growing up, I was a fanatic of Wisconsin football. But I realized right away, you got to put that to rest once you start thinking about your future and what you want as a football player.”

Nelson lived in DeForest, Wis., a suburb of Madison, until moving to Mankato, Minn., in 2005 because of his father’s job. He was 12 years old.

By the time Nelson was starring at Mankato West High School, the Badgers no longer were his favorite team. They never offered him a scholarship. Iowa and Michigan State were his top two schools before Kill was hired to replace Tim Brewster in December 2010.

Kill and his wife, Rebecca, visited with the Nelson family for several hours not long after he was hired.

“I heard the story about the longevity of his coaching staff and how they’ve stayed together through all of this,” Pat Nelson said. “That was one of our top priorities in making a selection. What really sealed it up was the offense that Kill had been doing. It tailored perfectly to Philip’s talents, just perfectly.”

Kill’s read-option spread offense worked well with Chandler Harnish at Northern Illinois. Gophers quarterbacks coach Jim Zebrowski saw similarities between Harnish and Nelson. They both had a quick release and deceptive speed as runners. They had pocket presence and leadership qualities.

Zebrowski told Nelson he had a chance to compete for the starting job right away.

“I said, ‘You got a chance. We’re not loaded. Our quarterbacks are kind of all over the place in years,’ ” Zebrowski said. “Deep down, (Pat Nelson) was hoping wherever his son goes he gets a fair or legit chance to show what he can do.”

Seven games into his freshman season in 2012, Nelson made his first start after injuries to senior starter MarQueis Gray and the ineffectiveness of sophomore Max Shortell, who eventually transferred.

Nelson’s father couldn’t believe his son would make his college debut against the Badgers at Camp Randall in Madison. They watched games and attended camps there together for years.

“Kill talked to him about it and made the decision to go, and that was it,” Pat Nelson said. “How ironic is that? What are the odds that here he is the first time he steps foot on the field it would be at Wisconsin, ‘Oh, my God.’ ”

Nelson threw two interceptions but also tossed a couple of touchdown passes in a 38-13 loss. The following week, he had a 246-yard, three-touchdown performance to beat Purdue.

Then Nelson seemed to hit a wall. The Gophers lost four of their final five games, when Nelson threw three touchdown passes and six interceptions. His late-season highlight: two touchdowns passes in a Meineke Car Care Bowl loss to Texas Tech.

Former Southern Illinois quarterback Joel Sambursky, who started for Kill as a freshman during one of the coach’s early stops, tried to encourage Nelson.

“Hearing the stories of Southern Illinois from Joel, I realized you can hit a low when you’re trying to turn the program around,” Nelson said. “That was something I knew I signed up for. We never wanted to use the excuse that we were too young. But we knew that we were young and could only go up from where we were.”

Nelson opened this season in better condition after losing 10 pounds. He rushed for a career-best 122 yards in a win over New Mexico State, but the following week he injured his hamstring.

As he sat and watched the next game, against San Jose State, Leidner, a redshirt freshman from Lakeville, tied a school quarterback record with four rushing touchdowns.

Leidner quickly became a fan favorite. And the Gophers were criticized when Nelson returned, only to struggle while playing the entire game in a 23-7 Big Ten-opening loss to Iowa at home.

Nelson wasn’t completely healthy, and he was hesitant. So Leidner started the next three games.

“I think sitting back and realizing how bad I really wanted to be out there was probably something that put a little fuel to the fire,” Nelson said. “Since then, I haven’t really looked back.”

The past four games — all victories –are sort of a blur, Nelson said.

He started only two of them but was the offensive spark in the school’s first four-game Big Ten winning streak since 1973. During that stretch, Nelson completed 63 percent of his passes while throwing seven touchdowns with no interceptions.

His 298-yard, four-touchdown passing game helped the Gophers escape Indiana with a win and earned him a Big Ten co-offensive player of the week award.

And as monumental as a victory over Wisconsin would be for the program and for his family, Nelson is trying to keep that game — and his entire career up to this point — in perspective.

“This is one that not only me and our team but all the fans and the people of this campus … this is the one everybody wants a lot,” Nelson said. “But I think I learned last year, I’m just trying to have fun playing football and not let anything get to me.”

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